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Midweek Quickie; Spicy Stuffed Spud Splats

Right, before we start, I'm going to have to admit that if you make this recipe from scratch (as I'm about to lay out before your very eyes), it isn't very quick. BUT if you happen to have leftover mash and veggies to use in something other than bubble & squeak or if you make up a batch, eat your fill and freeze some of these beasties for later, it's a bloody quick dinner, (like this amazing wrap I whapped one in last night). So there.

Onwards!

I'm going to get on with it, I promise. I'll just make these 3 4 points first:

I used a mix of peeled and unpeeled potatoes, not just because I'm lazy (I am), but also because I'm a weirdo who does genuinely like the skins and cries hard if they are just cast into a pile of unforgiving compost never to fulfil their purpose of being eaten and appreciated. Poor spuddy skins deserve love too. (Retrospectively, it's becoming less surprising every day that I embraced veganism so enthusiastically.)

I served these beasties with salad from my new "other" veg box. It's well local and their fruit & veggies are blooming tasty. Give them a wotcha if you're in the ends. Plus the geezer running it is so lovely & friendly, you'll want to give him all of your money just to have a chat on Twitter.

I dressed the salad with truffle oil, salt and some fermented salsa what I done made on a ferments course at Made In Hackney. Can't wait for the Kimchi to be ready. It blooming stinks. I am totally going to be getting all probiotic up in here very shortly. Well, in a minimum of 6-8 weeks.

I fried everything in hemp oil and used the same pan for my filling as I did for my splats, solely because I didn't want extra washing up. This may or may not be relevant to you and your washing up needs.

I've said too much already. I know it's not why you're here. The recipe is coming...

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Spicy Stuffed Spud Splats

Makes about 9 big fat beasties.

roughly 2lbs potatoes, diced (and peeled, if you like that kind of thing...)

some gf flour (obviously I didn't measure it, I suggest using your senses of sight & touch, but probably around a 1/4 of a cup)

big knob (teehee!) of vegan butter stuff

splash of almond milk

1/2 onion, diced

1/2 leek, halved & chopped

1 small chilli, finely chopped

4 cloves of garlic, diced

1 carrot, chopped small

1 head of purple sprouting broccoli, chopped small

1/2 red pepper, diced

4 chestnut mushrooms, diced

1 tsp coriander seeds

1 tsp cumin seeds

1 tsp mustard seeds

1 tsp turmeric

1 bay leaf

salt & pepper

hemp oil, or whatever you like that's greasy.

Bring a big pan of salted water to the boil. Sling in your first spud, get burnt by splash back and gently lower in the rest of them. Simmer for about 15 minutes or until ready to be mashed.

Over a low-medium heat gently fry off your onion, leek, carrot, pepper and spices in some oil. Once softened, add in the garlic, the rest of your veggies & the bay leaf plus a spoonful or 2 of the salty potato water, then pop a lid on it and let those bad boys steam.

Drain your potatoes, season and mash with your marge and nut milk.

Stir your flour through the potatoes until you get a nice, dough like consistency. It shouldn't be too wet or too crumbly and dry.

Now, you have two options here. You could set your spuds and filling aside until they can be safely handled by human hands or you can do what I did, pick up a handful of hot potato and repeat your favourite expletives whilst using your unguarded skin to mould it into a disc like shape. This method is for the impatient among us.

Add some veggie filling to the centre of your disc, push the sides up and over and use an extra smidge of potato to cover over any gaps. Repeat until all filling and spud has been utilised or consumed.

Over a medium heat, fry off your spud splats for about 3 minutes on each side, or until desired crispiness/burntness has been reached.

Get me to cater for you!

Having an interest in cooking means being able to facilitate a constant state of eating. Ergo I bloody love cooking.
Up until quite recently I would eat anything and everything, even the things that other people would physically recoil from. Shockingly, as I've now completed my 20s, I've realised there are a lot more things I can no longer stomach.
Somehow I've ended up both gluten free and vegan. And despite it sounding really restrictive, it's actually bloody easy. I should know, I'm a pretty basic cook, really - and just look at the variety of food I make and have available to me! It's immense and "making things vegan" has actually reignited my passion for cooking. Who'd have known?!
Expect a glug of vegan and gluten free recipes, a drizzle of my life story and a rare bonus dash of something I can't stick in my face. I will also attempt humour, so a pinch of salt to hand is recommended.